A federal judge ruled that President Donald Trump’s administration “willfully” violated federal law by deploying National Guard troops to Los Angeles during immigration protests in early June.
U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco criticized the administration for using troops beyond their legal authority and raised concern about creating “a national police force with the President as its chief.”
The big picture: The ruling states the troops were improperly trained and engaged in unauthorized activities such as crowd control, arrests, searches, and traffic blockades.
- Judge Breyer ordered the Trump administration to stop using National Guard troops to execute laws, effective September 12, but did not immediately require withdrawal of about 300 remaining troops in the area.
- The White House announced plans to appeal the ruling, with spokeswoman Anna Kelly accusing the judge of trying to “usurp the authority of the Commander-in-Chief.”
Driving the news: This case originated from a California lawsuit arguing that the troop deployment violated the Posse Comitatus Act, which limits federal military involvement in domestic law enforcement.
- The Trump administration contended that the Act did not apply because troops were protecting federal officers, not enforcing laws, and cited presidential authority to deploy forces under specific statutory conditions.
- Troops were sent after large-scale protests erupted in response to immigration raids, including freeway blockades and setting self-driving cars on fire; law enforcement responded with tear gas, rubber bullets, and flash bangs.
What they’re saying: California Gov. Gavin Newsom hailed the ruling, stating, “No president is a king – not even Trump – and no president can trample a state’s power to protect its people.”
Go deeper: The ruling raised questions about Trump’s plans to deploy troops in other Democratic-led cities such as Oakland, San Francisco, Chicago, Baltimore and New York.
- About 4,000 National Guard members and 700 Marines had been deployed in early June in Los Angeles; by July, most were withdrawn except roughly 300 troops remaining.
- National Guard troops participated in operations at MacArthur Park and assisted federal immigration raids near Ventura County’s marijuana nurseries, which raised legal and ethical concerns.
